When we first moved into our house, we bought a bunch of book shelves for one of the walls in our basement for storage because it was all we could afford at the time. Now that we have lived here a few years and have decorated the way we want, we are left with these book shelves that I just don’t need anymore. I though about selling them second hand but to be honest, they were pretty cheap to begin with and I wouldn’t really get anything for them. I am a crafty person so I decided I would use them in other ways around the house.

I was searching online for inexpensive ways to up-cycle these bookshelves and came across some really inventive and fun ways to turn them into something more useful.

1. Child’s Sandbox

This idea came from the blog TheHomesIHaveMade.com. I have a 3 year old and a four year old, so this idea was perfect for us. All you have to do is turn it on it’s back, give it a quick coat of bright paint and fill it with sand. You may want to weather coat it so that it last longer and last in the rain, snow and other outside conditions. I love this idea!

2. Planter Garden

I was looking on Helpfulgardener.com and found this idea. This idea I have already done myself and it turned out great! It made perfectly lined rows for my herb garden. Just like the sandbox idea, you will want to weather proof this garden bed to make sure it lasts through watering and rain. I have gotten so many compliments already. I also did this with an old filing cabinet, as well the exact same way.

3. Desk

Over at AtThePicketFence.com, they had a great idea for a bookshelf to be turned into an office desk. They have all of the instructions to carry out this simple up-cycle project for your office or even for your kids bedroom.

4. Bench

If you have a tall skinny bookshelf, you will want to think about this refurbished project. Flip it on it’s side and add some paint, fabric and some stuffing to the top of it for an awesome bench! You can find this idea over at RefurbishedIdeas.com.

5. Mud Room Organization

I love the idea of taking an old book shelf, and making it into an organizer for a mudroom or hallway. This is perfect if you have a cluttered entryway or you don’t have storage space.This idea came from LivingMSN.com and I bet is very popular.

6. Mini bar

How can you not just fall in love with this idea! Turn a smaller bookshelf into a great mini bar for entertaining. It is so simple and easy and all of the details for it are posted up on the website IdeasAndSolutions.com for you to follow.